Yin Li, seeing the anxious expression on the face of Daoist Changshou, gradually calmed herself down.
Her master was right; Wan Yao Ridge was far too dangerous for her.
If she were to go alone, let alone find her senior brother, she would likely be devoured by the demonic beasts as soon as she stepped foot inside.
She couldn't be impulsive.
"Master, we must make a plan."
...
"Is that Wan Yao Ridge up ahead?"
Xu Yi stood at the bow of the Divine Swift Ship, her heart stirred as she looked at the continuous mountain range in front of them.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt a faint sense of ill omen emanating from there, the restless aura gradually subsiding.
Lu Zaiye replied softly, "Yes, that's Wan Yao Ridge ahead."
He hadn't been here in a long time.
But the aura here was still as foul and repulsive as he remembered.
Xu Yi piloted the Divine Swift Ship downwards, explaining to Lu Zaiye as she did, "The Divine Swift Ship is too conspicuous. If we go in like this, we'll easily become a target. So, we have to sneak in quietly."
Xu Yi's serious expression forced Lu Zaiye, who had experienced countless battles, to feign compliance as if taking instruction.
Seeing Lu Zaiye listening intently, Xu Yi felt even more delighted.
Little Lu was so obedient; she was almost jealous of Elder Qingfeng.
To set a good example as a grand-disciple in front of Lu Zaiye, she forcibly stopped Lu Zaiye, who wanted to take the lead, and walked at the forefront herself, scanning the surroundings cautiously.
She would definitely protect Little Lu.
Lu Zaiye frowned and silently watched Xu Yi's retreating back.
This was the first time he had ever been protected by someone else.
It felt rather strange.
Considering his grand-disciple's determined nature, Lu Zaiye felt he should get used to it quickly, as such situations would likely be common in the future.
He thought this to himself, yet his divine sense was frantically expanding outwards, never letting down its guard.
After passing through a patch of withered forest, they soon arrived at the plains before Wan Yao Ridge.
Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye looked at the scattered, rudimentary stalls, surprise flashing in both their eyes.
Perhaps seeing the two standing still for a long time, a Golden Core cultivator with a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks approached them with a fawning smile and whispered, "This is your first time at Wan Yao Ridge, isn't it, esteemed seniors?"
Xu Yi's eyes flickered, and she lowered her voice, "Yes. Why are there so many stalls set up here? I heard Wan Yao Ridge is fraught with danger; aren't these stall owners afraid of trouble?"
As Xu Yi spoke, she took out a mid-grade spirit stone from her storage ring and slowly rotated it in her palm.
The sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked cultivator's eyes lit up upon seeing the clear and translucent mid-grade spirit stone, and the smile on his face became even more radiant.
"This junior, Hou San, is willing to enlighten seniors."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yi smiled and slipped the mid-grade spirit stone into Hou San's hand.
Hou San, having received the spirit stone, immediately began explaining to Xu Yi and the others with great effort.
It turned out that a long time ago, cultivators would trade items here. Later, those greedy and desperate individuals started doing business.
These people never ventured into Wan Yao Ridge, only setting up stalls on the outskirts. They sold urgently needed spirit herbs and grasses to cultivators at high prices, and bought demon beast corpses or valuable demon beast materials at low prices, thus earning a high profit margin in between.
Many people had become rich overnight because of this.
Wealth moved people's hearts, so the number of cultivators setting up stalls here also grew.
"If you seniors need to buy anything, you can go to that square-faced cultivator. His prices are the most favorable among them."
Hou San did not forget to recommend stalls to Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye while explaining, clearly having received benefits from the square-faced cultivator.
Xu Yi had already purchased a large quantity of items before coming and immediately refused Hou San.
Hou San was not disheartened. Most cultivators who bought things here were injured and emerged from Wan Yao Ridge, desperately needing treatment and not caring about the high prices, or rather, they were forced to accept the high prices.
Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye were clearly not among them.
"Oh, right. If you two are new here, you can buy a copy of the 'Wan Yao Ridge Survival Guide' from me. It can greatly increase your chances of survival."
Hou San slapped his head, took out a thick booklet from his embrace, and vigorously recommended it to the two, praising the book to the skies.
"May I inspect it first?" Xu Yi was very interested in this survival guide.
"Of course, but you can only open the first few pages."
Hou San very readily handed the book to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi casually flipped through it and immediately made up her mind to buy it.
"Since senior wants it, I will definitely give you the lowest price," Hou San said with a look of sincerity. "Ten mid-grade spirit stones."
Xu Yi also smiled sincerely, "Do you think I look like a fool?"
Xu Yi's smile was filled with a faint threat.
Ten mid-grade spirit stones were enough to satisfy the cultivation needs of a Golden Core cultivator for a month. For a book that clearly looked like it was mass-produced on inferior paper, one could buy a stack for a single mid-grade spirit stone.
Hou San's smile froze.
Finally, after a friendly negotiation, Xu Yi bought the survival guide for five low-grade spirit stones.
Under Hou San's tearful gaze, Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye's figures gradually disappeared into Wan Yao Ridge.
After the two left, Hou San, with trembling legs, came to the square-faced cultivator and sat down, his forehead covered in large beads of sweat as if he had been pulled out of water.
The square-faced cultivator had seen Hou San chatting happily with the two young cultivators earlier and thought he must have struck it rich this time.
However, seeing him covered in sweat, he was quite surprised. "What's wrong with you? Weren't you just fine?"
Hou San didn't even have the strength to speak and could only raise his sleeve to wipe away his sweat. After a while, he recovered most of his strength.
Then, he grabbed the square-faced cultivator and began to complain incessantly.
"Old Fang, you don't know, I was just on the verge of death just now. It was too terrifying."
Old Fang, however, thought Hou San was exaggerating. "It couldn't be that bad, could it? I saw that female cultivator smiling the whole time; she seemed easy to get along with."
"No, it wasn't her." Hou San swallowed hard, his eyes still filled with deep fear. "It was the man next to her. He, he..."
Hou San didn't know how to describe the man's gaze.
He hadn't noticed him at first, but after he made his exorbitant demand, he inadvertently met the man's eyes. It was as if he had been dragged into an abyss by something terrifying, unable to break free.
Only after the man looked away did he regain his senses from that powerless state.
He was certain that the man was by no means harmless.
That was close.
He had almost died.
Old Fang recalled the appearance of the young male cultivator but couldn't match it with Hou San's description.
Seeing Hou San looking utterly terrified, he could only pat his shoulder to offer comfort.
Hou San was truly scared and behaved himself for several days. It wasn't until he encountered the next "fat sheep" that he returned to his usual self.
Only he knew that a forbidden existence had been imprinted deep within his heart.